


Cross My Soul - Kustard (Sans x UF!Sans) Fanfiction

by Angelofchaos98



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mentions of attempted suicide, Mentions of genocide, Self Harm, UF Papyrus is Edge/Boss, UF Sans is Red
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2018-11-14 07:07:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11202963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelofchaos98/pseuds/Angelofchaos98
Summary: When a wounded and bleeding Sans from another, harsher universe (dubbed Underfell by Undertale Alphys) Appears in the forest nearby Snowdin, Sans ends up saving his Doppelganger's life.With nowhere to go, UF!Sans (named Red) ends up staying with Sans and Papyrus.Though Red is vulgar and often generally mean, Sans can see it's front to hide the pain Red is feeling.But when he tries to help, he finds that he is being drawn towards his counterpart for entirely different reasons.And maybe, Sans might finally have found a reason to hope again.





	1. Seeing Red

Sans slippers crunched softly against the snow, currently the only sound there was on the path. He let out a deep, heavy sigh, glancing up at the ceiling of the cavern. 

“Those rocks aren't changing anytime soon…” He muttered and brought his view back down to his feet and the snow covered path. He kept walking for a bit, before taking a sharp right into the woods. He glanced between the trees. He never liked going into the forest, especially deep into it. But he forced himself forward. 

Alphys had called him at an early morning hour. If it wasn't for her panicked voice, he might have disregarded it. She claimed that some of her sensors picked up some impossible readings from the forested area, creating almost a similar disturbance to the human’s resets. It got him interested enough that he asked what he could do.

Hence, why Sans was now waltzing into the forest at a god-awful hour looking for the source of the “disturbance.”

He looked up at the ceiling again, before groaning in frustration. He often found himself staring at those rocks, hoping, praying that he would see that sunrise again. The human comes down, does some stuff, maybe frees everyone or… KILLS everyone. It all depended on their mood, it seemed. Sans would sometimes get flickering images of the past timelines. 

A beautiful sunrise over a city, a mutant flower creature, or, the worst of it, a significantly strong pain over his chest and… Red… So much RED. It was partially why he half-shrugged off the spattered trail of red he now saw before him. He closed his sockets, like he normally did, and took slow, deep breaths into his non-existent lungs, willing the images away. 

When his sockets opened, however, the trail remained. 

He rubbed his sockets with his phalanges and opened them again.

Still there. 

Curiosity had never been a dominant trait of Sans’s soul, but damn he was curious now. He took a shaky step forward, then another, then another, drawing closer to the end of the trail. It seemed to lead behind a boulder, so he created a sharp bone construct, just to be safe. 

He slowly stepped around the large rock, attack at the ready.

The construct in his hand suddenly dropped. 

“Holy shit…” 

There was a small figure curled at the base of the rock, breathing slightly unsteady, but breathing nonetheless. The black and yellow hoodie the figure was wearing was becoming stained with a darker red, the floof around the hood already tinted. 

But that wasn't what grabbed Sans’s attention. 

The figure was HIM.

Well, the small skeleton could definitely see a few differences. The sharpened teeth, the apparel, the soft, flickering red eyelights. It was him and yet… Not. 

The “other Sans” was staring at him, watching him like a wounded, wary animal. His eyelights, though hazy, were locked with Sans’s own. Sans noticed the wound over the other's chest and the obvious source of the blood, his sockets growing wide. 

He stepped forward, the other growling low. He looked to be trying to form an attack, but to no avail. 

He was weakened. 

He wouldn't survive out here. 

Sans swallowed the magical lump that had found it's way to his throat, forcing himself to speak.

“H-hey… it's-it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ya, buddy…” 

The small skeleton monster shrunk away, but hissed in pain, clutching its chest tighter. 

Sans took the opportunity.

He grabbed the other’s wrist teleporting them directly into the basement of his house.

He scrambled to grab a small candy from his work desk. It was a monster candy, able to heal 10 HP. Turning back, he saw the other skeleton completely unmoving.

Shit.

He scrambled back over and checked the skeleton's stats. He was in the decimals. 

Shit shit shit!

He popped open the other's mouth, hearing a small groan of protest, but he gently pushed it away. 

“I'm trying to help you. Calm down.” Sans tried his best to keep his voice level and the other settled. Whether that was because he understood or just didn't have the energy to fight anymore, Sans wasn't sure. He pushed the candy inside and heard the other gulp. 

Sans checked the stats again.

Nothing. 

No change.

But he waited.

He was patient.

Slowly, but surely, the decimals started going up. 

Sans breathed a sigh of relief, almost collapsing on top of his doppelganger.

“Why…”

He snapped his attention to the skeleton under him, seeing crimson magic pouring from his sockets. 

Tears.

“Why did… y-you save m-me…?”

Sans didn't know why his soul suddenly thumped hard in his ribcage. He felt… Empathy towards his counterpart. He had been on the brink of death himself, even if the memories were a tad fuzzy. Instead he answered by brushing his phalanges softly over the over the other's skull. The monster’s sockets slid shut and he leaned into the touch, his breathing more steady. 

Sans pulled out his phone and dialed Alphys. 

“H-hi Sans! Did… did you go look f-for w-what caused it?” 

“Yeah,” He said glancing down at the now sleeping skeleton, “and Al? You're not gonna believe what I found.”


	2. Waking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red wakes up

Red slowly opened his sockets, closing them as the painfully bright light above him flicked on. He groaned and rolled over on his…

Wait. 

He sat up suddenly at the realization that this was NOT his bed and NOT his room. His red eyelights darted from the clean white walls, to the messy desk covered in papers and documents and blueprints, to the oddly familiar machine in the corner, and finally settling on… Himself. 

“Oh good. You're finally up. Sorry about not waking you earlier to explain things, but I figured since, well, you're ME, you might wanna nap a bit longer.” 

Red opened and closed his mouth in shock. That was undoubtedly him. The voice, the way he looked, even his description of Red seemed on point. As much as Red’s mind was trying to comprehend this fact, one thought stayed solid. 

_“I don't trust him.”_

Then again, he didn't trust ANYONE other than his brother, Papyrus. Though, he only called him Boss. 

“Hey, buddy? You with me?” The other Sans snapped his phalanges in front of Red, bringing him to attention. It caused him to yelp and start falling off the bed. He saw the floor and moved his arms, bracing for his inevitable impact. 

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds. 

He hesitantly cracked open an eye socket, shocked to see he was hovering about a foot away from the tiled floor. Slowly, almost gently, this unseen force placed him back on the bed. He looked over to see his doppelganger’s eye glowing a bright Cyan and his hand moving along with the unseen force. A soft glow emitted from the other's chest, silhouetting the individual ribs. The light softened and faded as Red was settled on the bed. 

The Sans let out a deep exhale and moved his eyelights over Red, looking him up and down. Red squirmed under his studying gaze, shifting uncomfortably. Finally, the Sans spoke. 

“So, I'm assuming you don't know what's going on either, huh?” 

Red paused, thinking back to the last thing he remembered. There was the human, judgement hall. The human… Wait…

He moved his hand up to his chest, only to find no wound. He froze, confused. There was no blood, no pain, no scar, but he KNEW there was at some point. So, what happened to make his pain go away? 

His eyelights travelled to meet the other’s quiet, patient gaze. 

Why was he looking at him like that? 

So… GENTLE? 

Like… He CARED?

He averted his eyes, trying to look at something, ANYTHING other than those gentle blue eyes. He didn't deserve that, he failed, he lost, he-

“Well, I suppose I should introduce myself.” Red flicked his own gaze up to the doppelganger, seeing an outstretched, bony hand, “I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. And you?”

Red was wary. He didn't know this monster's intentions, but he definitely didn't SEEM bad. He didn't even seem to be putting up a front. Still, his soul warned him to not get to close. 

He sighed. 

He could at least say his name. 

“S-sans… Though, I g-go by R-red…” 

Sans simply nodded thoughtfully. 

“Red… Okay.” He murmured. He turned and grabbed a plate with steaming spaghetti on it, handing it to Red.

“My bro was pretty excited to have a guest over, he spent a long time perfecting that meal. Go ahead and eat, I'll be back. Just gotta grab something from my room.” 

Sans stood and exited the room, taking one last glance at Red, before shutting the door behind him.

Red looked at his food and salivated slightly. It looked REALLY GOOD. Though his soul was still wary, he abandoned his anxiety for the sake of his hunger. Bringing a forkful of the pasta to his mouth, he all but shoveled the food into his non-existent stomach. As he ate, he felt his red, liquid magic trickle down his cheekbones. He slowly stopped eating and stared at the plate. He felt his soul tighten and pulse as his emotions couldn't be controlled any longer. 

He put down the pasta and pulled up the flimsy blanket to his collar. He curled into a ball and sobbed softly. You never know who could be listening, after all, and crying was what weak monsters did. And weak monsters were killed.

That was just how things were.

“I'm sorry Boss… I'm sorry… I failed… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… Forgive me, Papyrus…” 

His sobs slowly died away, then his small body settled and he fell into a deep, restless sleep.


	3. Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red meets Papyrus

After Red woke up for the second time, Alphys had come over to the skeleton household to confirm what Sans had already suspected. 

Red was from another universe.

Ironically, it was one Alphys had been keeping an eye on. Sans had already proved that the multiverse existed, due to his teleportation ability and his ability to see multiple timelines. Multiple timelines meant multiple universes. Alphys, using that information, had started “studying” other universes. She couldn't see what was happening, per say, in the other timelines, but she could read the unique energies each one presents. She managed to pair Red’s energy to a timeline she had dubbed “Underfell,” for it's… Hostile energy.

Red was no different than the timeline he came from. After explaining where he was, Sans and Alphys were met with many vulgar words and phrases as well as a sharp, harsh attitude. As much as Sans wanted to snap at him for doing so, he quickly realized what Red was doing.

He was putting up a front. 

It was the same thing he did, except instead of slipping into lazy activities or just… Sleeping, this version of him seemed keen on distancing himself using more cruel methods.

He wasn't actually emitting the same energy as his timeline. 

He was more… Reflecting it. 

After spending so much time in the basement, however, Papyrus had grown restless upstairs. He simply HAD to know what was going on! He grabbed the spare key, (sans never hid it too well, he was such a lazy bones!), and began his descent into the basement. 

“SANS! YOU HAVE BEEN DOWN HERE FOR AN HOUR NOW, WHAT… IS…” Papyrus’s train of thought trailed off as his gaze settled on Red. Sans was suddenly on edge. He had purposely kept Papyrus upstairs until they had figured things out with Red. His eyelights darted between his brother and his counterpart, unsure what to do. 

“P… Papyrus…?” Red asked softly, a slight quiver in his voice. A single, crimson tear rolled down his cheekbone. 

Though confused, Papyrus struck a heroic pose.

“WELL, OF COURSE I AM! IT IS ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH HEH!”

Sans saw a blur as Red practically flew from the bed and hugged Papyrus hard. 

He didn't know a Sans could move that fast.

Red started wailing into the tall skeleton’s battle body, whispering in between sobs.

“I'm sorry.”

“I failed.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I couldn't stop them.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's my fault.”

_“I'm sorry, Papyrus...”_

Sans was to stunned to tell him it wasn't his brother. In a way, he didn't want to. 

Based on the way Red was acting, Sans could only guess the hell he had just been through.

“IT'S… IT'S ALRIGHT. SHH, DON'T CRY… IT'S OKAY NOW! EVERYTHING IS OKAY NOW!” Papyrus knelt down and hugged Red, rubbing his back with one hand and stroking his skull with the other. “YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SCARED ANYMORE, NOW THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE!” 

Sans could only watch in awe as Red slowly calmed down, Papyrus still holding him and whispering to him. 

Man, his brother is too cool.

Eventually, Red let go of his grip on Papyrus and the tall skeleton turned to Sans. 

“SANS! WHY WERE YOU HIDING ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU IN THE BASEMENT! IF I HAD KNOWN I HAD TWO BROTHERS, I WOULD HAVE MADE EXTRA SPAGHETTI!” 

Red suddenly looked up at that, locking eyes with Sans. Sans didn't know why, until he recalled what he had said when brought his dinner down. 

_“My bro was pretty excited to have a guest over, he spent a long time perfecting that meal.”_

Sans almost felt ashamed until he saw Red mouth a silent “thanks” to him. 

Ba-Thump.

Sans pleaded for his soul to calm down in his chest. It was HIM for Asgore’s sake! Sure, him from an alternate universe, but still him! 

After a quick discussion about where Red would stay, (Papyrus insisted he stay with Sans and himself, bringing the conversation to a close. Papyrus was very stubborn.), Alphys left, considering the skeleton to be in good hands. He would sleep on the couch for now, since they didn't have an extra room at the moment. 

Sans came downstairs to check on him and saw Red curled up under the soft blanket, a peaceful, calm expression on his face.

Ba-Thump.

Sans sighed. 

This was gonna get interesting.


	4. Beautiful Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS A SCENE WITH SELF HARM. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. 
> 
> Red goes missing.
> 
> So does a knife.

It had been about a month before Red had even mostly settled down. Sans tried everything he could to gain the distant skeleton’s trust, but to no avail. He seemed pretty set on keeping to himself, for the most part. Besides the occasional vulgar comment or butting in with a sentence composed mostly of “fuck,” he was fairly quiet. 

But Sans was patient.

The skeleton still got a funny feeling in his soul every once in awhile whenever Red was nearby. At first, it was just a light feeling, then it felt like butterflies were deciding to play a game of tag inside the small glowing heart, now it was more this nagging sensation. Like when you know you should say something to someone, but you don't and the thought keeps tugging at you, urging you to act.

It was MADDENING. 

Sans knew he just had to find a trigger, something to get Red to trust him. But nothing came up. Nothing seemed to reach beyond that impassable barrier he had put up around his mind and soul. Even Papyrus couldn't get a reaction out of him. 

One day, though, while Papyrus was out doing some errands, Sans went downstairs to find that Red wasn’t at the couch. Odd, since that was where he could normally be found.

He wandered to the kitchen, again greeted by emptiness and a seriously eerie silence. Sans felt panic seize his soul. He willed himself to calm down, to breathe. 

“It's okay. He might be somewhere else, he might’ve gone with Paps, he might-” His eyelights suddenly settled on the countertop, causing his soul to freeze and his bones to go cold. He turned and bolted up the stairs. 

One of their knifes was missing.

Sans started calling out Red's name, opening every door they had, searching frantically for the skeleton. He hoped, he PRAYED, that he would find Red behind one of the doors. He flung open the door to Papyrus’s room, seeing no trace of Red once again.

He was almost about to give up his search when he heard it. 

Crying. 

It was quiet, almost muffled, as if the person was trying desperately to keep in their sobs. It was coming from behind the closet door. Sans, stepping softly, walked over and saw the door was unlocked. The skeleton mentally prepared himself. He didn't know what Red had done. He pulled open the door and let out a soft gasp.

Red was sitting against the back wall of the closet. His eyelights flicked up to Sans, showing a mix of panic and shame. His sleeve was rolled up to his elbow, revealing several deep cuts in the bone, red liquid trickling from the wounds. The knife was still in Red's hand, causing the blade to tremble, the blood staining its silver edge. 

Sans didn't think. 

He acted.

In a blink, he was in front of Red, the knife pulled from his trembling phalanges. Red struggled and resisted Sans’s touch, but suddenly found himself pinned underneath his counterpart. Red had started to cry, but it wasn't because of the pain in his arm. It ached, but not as bad as seeing that expression on Sans’s face. 

Why did he look so fucking CALM?

Red struggled a bit more under that gentle gaze. It felt worse than the murderous eyes of his fellow monsters, worse than when his brother would glare at him in disappointment. He hated that look, because this time, he wasn't expected to fail. 

And yet, he had.

“Well?” Red growled. “What are you gonna fucking do? Yell at me? Tell me how much of a fucking failure I am? Huh?”

Sans was silent. His eyelights flicked from Red's face to his bleeding arm and back again. 

Red was growing anxious.

“Just… just SAY SOMETHING will ya? Just… just…”

Red trailed off as Sans let go of his wrists to cup the small skeleton’s cheeks. Sans looked directly at the glowing red eyes. 

“Don't…” Sans swallowed, trying to keep his voice level, “don't ever hurt yourself. It only makes it worse. I know, I tried.”

Red was stunned. Sans… Understood?

Red winced a bit as Sans grabbed his arm once again, gently this time. He cradled it, as if it might turn to dust if touched in the wrong way. Sans pressed his teeth to the wounds, in a way that almost mimicked a kiss. Red froze, unsure what that meant. 

Why was he so damn GENTLE? 

Red heard Sans whisper something under his breath, before releasing his arm and rising to his feet. He couldn't hear what the his doppelganger had said, but he felt like it was important.

Sans helped the other to his feet, steadying him and helping him down the stairs. Red was torn between his wary nature and a tugging need in his soul. He knew he needed help and Sans seemed more than willing to give it. 

Red wanted nothing more than to trust him. 

He was sat on the couch, Sans keeping him in his line of sight as he grabbed a first aid kit from the kitchen. Sans pulled some bandages and medicated ointment from the box, then walked over to the trembling, still bleeding skeleton. 

“Lemmie see your arm, Red.”

Red looked up at Sans. He had that same, soft look he normally does, though his eyelights were much more in focus than usual, that focus directed right at him and his well-being.

Red made a decision. 

He, somewhat hesitantly, moved out his arm towards Sans and the skeleton began rubbing ointment over the cracked bone. He hissed through his closed teeth as a stinging pain set in. Sans began to wrap the aching bone in the gauze, taking extra care to not pull to hard. He didn't want to accidentally fracture the bone he was trying to fix.

“H-hey, Sans?” 

Sans looked up at Red’s tense expression, feeling his soul thump in chest again. 

“Yeah, Red?”

He seemed still hesitant and swallowed hard in an attempt to ground himself. His question came out shaky.

“What… what w-was it y-you said be-before?” 

Sans’s cheeks suddenly dusted a light blue and he averted his eyes. He was still holding Red’s arm and Sans moved his phalanges so they were intertwined with his. 

“‘Please don't harm your beautiful bones.’ That's what I said.” Sans glanced up at Red face and saw a bright red flush was spread across his own cheekbones. A tear streaked down from Red’s socket and Sans reached up to wipe it away.

“And I meant every word of it.”


	5. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red goes on a date with Sans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't written a new chapter in FOREVER, but I finally have been getting better in my mental/physical health and wanted to resume this story! Here we go!

It had been about a month since that incident and Red felt like he was losing his mind.

The sharp toothed skeleton didn’t want to admit it, but he realized he had a crush on Sans.

As much as he tried to push it away, tell himself that it just couldn’t be, the skeleton couldn’t ignore that insistent nagging feeling in his soul anymore. Maybe it was because Sans was technically him. After all, if you can’t trust yourself, who CAN you trust?

But Red knew it was probably because Sans understood him.

Throughout everything he had been through, Red didn’t have anyone to talk to. Showing emotions in his universe was basically the equivalent of writing “KILL ME” on your back. Red was alone. He was always alone.

Until now.

Red knew Sans probably didn’t feel the same way. Again, they were the same person. Besides, who would want someone as broken as him?

That was probably why he was so surprised when Sans offered to bring him to dinner.

“Wait, really? Why you wanna go outta your way like that?”

Sans chuckled a bit, trying to hide the blue flush that was creeping up on his cheekbones.

“I guess I just wanna do something nice for you. TIBIA honest, I think it would be nice for you to get out for a bit. Cause I noticed you’ve been cooped up in here, not going outside-””

Red suddenly burst out laughing. Sans paused, the bright cyan blush glowing brighter.

_“Holy shit… That laugh is… Really cute…”_

Red wiped away his red tears on his jacket sleeve before shooting back a pun of his own.

“I suppose I just haven’t had the SPINE to do so, huh?”

Sans doubled over with laughter and pretty soon, the only sound in the entire house was the two skeleton’s joyful noises.

Finally, they calm down and Red asked where they were heading. Sans winked and grabbed the doorknob, indicating for Red to follow.

“You’ll see.”

Though Red wasn’t one for surprises, he trusted Sans. It wasn’t too much of a walk, both of them making various bad puns along the way, before stopping in front of Grillby’s. Red was actually surprised. It didn’t look half as bad as the one from his universe.

Sans had already told Grillby the situation, so the fire elemental wasn’t surprised when the two almost identical skeletons walked into the bar. Sans hopped up onto a bar stool, patting the one beside him. Red climbed up onto the plush seat and glanced at Sans. He was looking at him.

Red felt his soul flutter.

_“Not now, NOT NOW!”_ He willed himself to calm down before hearing Grillby ask what they wanted.

Sans ordered his usual, a bottle of ketchup and then asked Red what he wanted.

“Mustard… If you got it.”

Grillby simply nodded and went to the back for a bit.

“Mustard, huh?”

Red stiffened and turned to Sans, who had an amused smirk on his face.

“Says the guy who ordered ketchup.”

They laughed a bit and Grillby came back with their orders, before tending to another customer.

“So…” Red swallowed a bit, “What’s that REAL reason you brought me here?”

Sans froze. He sometimes forgot how observant Red was. He could pick up on things very quickly. The skeleton sighed. He figured he was gonna have to tell him eventually.

“Well… You see… I, uh…” Sans felt his blush come back, but took a deep breath, stilling his pounding soul.

_“I can do this.”_

He turned to Red and their eyelights locked.

“I… I like you, Red… And not just like a friend… Like… MORE than that...”

Red’s eye socket’s went wide. Sans squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, twiddling his phalanges.

He was taken quite by surprise when Red lept from his chair, burying his head in Sans chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner, you numbskull?!?!”

Sans chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around Red, rubbing the back of the other’s skull.

“I guess I was just too much of a bone head to admit it…”


	6. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The darkness of the void is too familiar to some...
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> S̨̢̜̦̠̯͑̃̃ͩ̋͏̛͟I̴̛͈̠͎̬N̩̩͚̪̜ͩ̐̔ͫ͟Ć͕̬̘̜ͬ͋҉Ḙ̬͇ͨ̉ͨ̾͠͏ ̴W̸̛̠̟̝̻͎̒ͪ́͜͝H͉EN̷̨̰̻̉̄̈́ ̻͚ͥͧ̃̋̓̕W̪̅̏̿͗͟͜͡E̵̡̢R̶͍̠͕͢Ȩ̼̮͗ͧͩ͢͢ ̼̬̤̭͎ͣ̑Y̴̷̨͢Ǫ̣͓͊̉́̆͢͞Ụ̇̏͋ͯ ͍͔͍͋̈́͢͏T͇̬̯̱͇̃ͯ͂̚҉̡̢͟͠H̴̨̧̛͉̩̰̮҉E̥̦̝͈̪͂̔̐͑̇͜ ̤͈̼̲ͦ̌̑̆̑̕ͅ͏O̚N̹͕̳̹̦͛̉ͪ͢E̸̅̆ ̖͇̌ͮ̕̕͘͜͟I̷̛̖̫͒N̢̲͚ͨ̈́̈́ͫ̓͝҉ ͍͙̅̐̔͋̚C͈̭̄͑͡O̡̥͓̻̭̍̌̏͠N̫̼͒̈Ť̴̷̴̷̡̻̤R̠͚͎̫̣͑̉̓̿͘Ô̶͌͘L͓̹̗͔̾̆͌͟?̸̷͔̬͇̟̣̑̒͊͝͞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angstangstangstangstangsttangstangstangst

It started with darkness.

That's how these things normally started. It was dark and quiet. Not even echoes would dare enter this place, perhaps for fear of might they might stir awake in the inky blackness. 

It's in this darkness that Red currently finds himself.

Though he's walking, his worn down tennis shoes make no sound. It's as if the his being had been muted simply for the sake of preserving the unnerving silence.

In an instant, however, everything flickers back.

White, then blue, then red, then gold, then red again. The white begins to linger as the images flicker past and Red can see him.

He opens his mouth, trying to call his brother's name.

But just like within the darkness, no sound can be made.

So he runs, fast, but the world still moves slowly.

_“Maybe this time.”_

_“Maybe this run.”_

_“Maybe this reset.”_

No matter what he says, no matter what he does, Red arrives seconds too late.

And all that is left among the snow and dust is a bloody, tattered scarf.

He screams, but no sound leaves. His mind feels like it's about to fall apart, each reset leaving another scar down his consciousness.

Another flicker of Red.

The human is above him, grabbing his jacket and pinning him down.

“Oh dear Sansy… S I N C E W H E N W E R E Y O U T H E O N E I N C O N T R O L ?”

Then the darkness again.

But those eyes remain.

And the silence is broken by that sick, twisted laugh.

“Red! Come on, wake up! It's just a bad dream, WAKE UP!”

The small skeleton’s eyelights flickered to life, bone constructs forming almost on instinct. His gaze darted across the somewhat unfamiliar room, his surroundings foreign. His soul felt like it might jump out of his ribcage and his non-existent lungs felt like they were burning as he heaved, trying to force air in. He suddenly froze as he felt arms wrapped around his middle, squeezing him gently.

Sans.

Red started to come back, slowly but surely, hearing Sans’s voice beckoning him, soothing him. The other looked up, cyan eyelights glowing brightly.

“Red, baby… it's okay… you're not there anymore… okay? They can't get you here, they WON'T get you here.”

The smaller skeleton trembled at the words, images of his nightmare still flashing through his broken mind. He stiffened when Sans’s hands cupped his cheeks, tilting his gaze up to meet his own.

Crimson magic began to flow from Red's sockets and he pulled his lover tight against.

“I'm s-sorry…”

“Shhh, you don't have to be.”

“I shouldn't have…”

“You didn't do anything wrong.”

“I just want…”

“I know…”

“I want to…”

“Red.”

The other skeleton’s voice was calm and firm, pulling Red back to look at him.

“What happened was NOT your fault. It's the human, alright? It's always the human. You can't control them. Nobody can. Please… please stop beating yourself up for what they've done. You. Are. Not. To. Blame.”

Red tried. He tried so hard to not let his tears fall. To push them back, to repress them into forgotten memory.

But there is only so much the soul can bottle up.

Red buried his head into Sans’s jacket and WAILED. He sobbed and cried and screamed in agony as every pent up emotion came pouring out at once.

Sans could only hold him as his lover fell apart in his arms.

It took a while for Red to wind down and once he did, what little energy he had was sapped from his body. He curled, trembling and shaking under the covers. Sans stroked his skull, hoping to console him.

Eventually, Sans got up to go back to his own bedroom, letting out a loud yawn.

“S-Sans… p-p-please… don't g-go… d-don’t leave… please…”

His soul went cold at the broken tone in Red’s voice. It was a sound he had hoped to never hear again.

_“I won't leave him like that…”_

Sans shrugged and crawled into the small bed. It was barely big enough for Red and he felt his lover press against him. The smaller’s skull nuzzled into his chest, staining the undershirt with his magic. His arms wrapped around him and Sans did the same, stroking Red’s skull. His phalanges trailed along the visible crack from his lover’s socket to the crown of his head.

Before long, Red was asleep once more.

Sans sighed.

“I'm not going anywhere Red. You know how I feel about promises, but… for you? Dammit, I promise. I'm not leaving you.”

A soft snore was the only response and Sans chuckled softly.

“G’night love… Sweet dreams.”


	7. Missing Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is wrong... Something is missing... Something important.
> 
> And Edge is determined to remember what it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm sorry for up and disappearing like that! The comments on this story have rekindled my passion for it! I'll try to stay determined and continue this! But until then, enjoy the switch to Underfell!)

“Papyrus! You’re ASKING to get killed if you keep being so distracted like that! Do you wanna fucking train or not?!”

The skeleton stiffened as the Ex-Captain, Undyne, yelled over to him, the bone construct in his gloved hand wavering.

“W-WELL... OF COURSE I WANT TO CONTINUE TRAINING!!! THERE'S JUST BEEN SOME... NEVERMIND, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!”

“It IS my business if whatever is happening is gonna get you dusted. Not that I care, but I'd rather NOT have another mess to clean up.”

“THAT ISN'T EXACTLY HELPING, UNDYNE.”

“Whatever. Just tell me.”

He scowled and groaned, but leaned against a nearby cave wall, dismissing his magic to cross his arms.

"F-FINE... DOES... DOES THE NAME 'SANS' SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?”

Undyne cocked her head to the side in thought before shaking it.

“That would be a no. Who are they? Some kind of troublemaker?”

“IF THEY WERE, I'M CERTAIN THEY'D BE DUSTED BY NOW.”

“Fair enough. Who then?”

Papyrus paused and sighed.

“THAT'S JUST IT. I DON'T KNOW EITHER.”

“Then why is it bothering you?”

“BECAUSE... BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I _SHOULD_ KNOW! I FEEL LIKE THAT NAME IS IMPORTANT, BUT I JUST CAN'T RECALL THEM!"

Undyne scoffed and shrugged.

“You can't let these mystery names get the best of you, Paps. It's only gonna give others the opportunity to strike. Don't turn into a pile of dust for something fucking stupid like that!”

Though he wished he could say otherwise, he begrudgingly accepted she was right. After all, this ‘Sans' couldn't be that important to get himself killed… Could he?

Undyne decided to cut off their training for now, sending Papyrus home. He insisted he was fine, but she insisted that she didn't want to dust him (yet) and he should get some rest while he can.

That's how he found himself staring blankly into his empty living room. He always had a plan, always had something to do, but this was... Different. It felt eerily quiet, like there should be some noise or something going on. He figured perhaps he should turn on the cracked tv. At least watching some of the horrible Mettaton reruns might keep his mind off… whatever this was. He hadn't even turned it on before a glance by the tv to a section of flooring had him freeze.

_“SANS! PICK UP YOUR FUCKING SOCK! IT'S BEEN HERE FOR OVER A MONTH NOW!”_

_“Eh, nah. Rather not. Why don't you do it, boss?”_

_“IT'S NOT MY SOCK! TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY ALREADY YOU LAZY BONES!”_

_“Nah. What's the point? It's not bothering anything. No need to give 'em the boot.”_

_“SAAAAAANS!”_

He jolted as his surroundings came back into focus, the all-too-familiar memory fading back into his mind. He stood, stomping in frustration.

“THAT DOES IT! I'M FINDING OUT WHO SANS IS AND I'M DOING IT NOW!"

In a release of anger and frustration, he punched the one section of wall that remained untouched to the wear of the house, suddenly pulled from his emotions into a panic as the wall gave way to stairs, which he fell down with a complete lack of grace. Standing, with various mumbled curses slipping past his teeth, he took a look at his surroundings. He paused, his glare turning to an expression of curiosity and wonder. There were blueprints pinned against one wall showing various machines and charts that looked so familiar, papers and notes strewn about, and a large… thing covered in a sheet.

“WHAT… IS THIS…?”

He stepped hesitantly into the room, as if the slightest movement would cause a trap to go off. Finding no danger, oddly enough, he began to shuffle through the papers, deciding to check the mystery thing beneath the sheets afterwards, though he kept a wary eyelight on it. A notebook, rough and torn, caught his attention, flipping to the first page.

_“Reset #12. The human killed him again… and like any other reset, I couldn't stop it. It's like, no matter how far I plan ahead, not matter what I do, I always get there seconds too late. I take one step, they take two. When will this fucking cycle end already???”_

Though the entry seemed to be nothing but the ramblings of a mad-monster, something about it struck him as… Familiar. Perhaps it was that something, that need for answers, that convinced him to keep reading the journal.

_“Reset #32. It's getting worse. The nightmares, the memories… Everytime that damn judgement hall, everytime that fucking HUMAN, holding a knife and covered in dust. It's always the same. Damn. Thing! And no one ever remembers… no one but me. And everytime, I'm powerless to stop them. One hit… and I'm dead. Only to wake up with the same cycle over again.”_

_“Reset #57. I was so close! So damn close! I've started working on the machine, hoping maybe, just MAYBE, if I fix it, I can gain the power over the timeline and the kid won't be able to reset anymore! I was so damn close and then everything reset again! Back to fucking square one… Maybe Papyrus is right… I really am just a worthless bag of bones… I can even save him… Why did I ever think I could save them all…?”_

_“Reset # fuck it, does it matter??????? It's all fucked! No matter what happens! I can't even off myself! It's the same, everything is the FUCKING SAME, I get SO CLOSE and it just goes back to the VERY BEGINNING!!! I don't even know why I'm trying anymore… I really… Nah, I know better don't I? No matter what, it's always for my little bro… I can't watch him die anymore. Not now… not ever… Hopefully this next time… I finish what I started. Wait for me, Paps… Just a bit longer… it's almost time to go judge the human…”_

Papyrus felt his hands shake, skull bouncing with so much information. Sans… Sans was his brother! The resets, yes those! He remembered! He remembered the human, the cycle of death and Sans... Sans... But then what happened to him? Why does no one remember Sans?

There was one more page.

Turning it, he only saw one phrase.

_“The machine is working.”_

His gaze wandered to the thing under the white tarp, knowing what this was now. In seconds, it was torn away and the machine, patched and welded in many places, whirred to life, light and sparks flying as it activated

“WHAT THE-”

An explosion of white took over Papyrus's vision, before everything faded to black.


End file.
